old train tracks that are never used make the perfect spot for photos. :)

dina had it in her head that it would be okay for me to bring my kids along. i'm sure by the first 3 minutes, she realized that was a bad idea. it was nice to have my child helping porter down the rocky hill, though. :) that was pretty much the only help i received from them, though. at one point, aiden was running in front of me as i was snapping. ugh. my husband owes me big for not making him take aiden with him for military trainings. ; )

dina set up a picnic next to the tracks. in order to get her kids to cooperate, she may or may not have had them skip lunch that day....

this was the ONLY time my kids sat still. seriously.

though she didn't want "family" photos, we had to do one with dina and the kids.

and i had to include an awesome blooper shot.

just like that, everyone was in play mode. so that's just what we did.

do you see the colorful arrangement in the background?? dina had all of that prepared for this shoot. this is why we're friends. :) we decided at the last minute to swing by my house and grab my chairs, too. glad we did. love all of the colors!

for the crafts, you need to understand that she is a woman with a printer...and she knows how to use it!

each of her 3 kids has a birthday tablecloth that they put their handprints on every year.

a "T" for tucker, again made by dina.

the party favors included various pieces of candy, some with x-men packaging, of course.

oh, and my son's favorite...

a glow-in-the-dark bracelet,

which he took to school on monday for

show-n-tell.

dina just recently painted her hutch,

as well.

it looked so great for the party!

the crazy birthday boy.

he always makes the weirdest faces at my camera.

beyond the comic book covers displayed on the window you get a glimpse into dina's craft room where she creates all of her cute hair accessories and jewelry for 'brag bling & bows'. we have started quite a collection of her stuff at our house. :)

one of tuck's friends donned her halloween costume for the party. so awesome.

the games were made by dina's dad last year for the school fun night. seriously amazing.

there were like 25 kids at this party.

kids.

alone.

it's a good thing dina's backyard is big.

cake time became "break time" for everyone. it was much needed.

the guy kneeling down is who i bought

my camera from.

i'm very thankful for him.

tuck opened every card, reading each one, and opened every present with careful thought. needless to say, present time took a long time. haha.

typically i wouldn't share what i gave someone for their birthday, but since i made it, i can share. :) my brother grew up reading & drawing comics. being that he was 4 years older than me, i wanted to be included in what he was into. so i read comics, too. i was excited to get to make this for tucker. i did a batman one, too, but this is my favorite. it took a while to draw it out free hand and then i ended up not using the drawing and just painting it free hand. i don't think i've ever been this stressed about an art project in my life. i'm pretty proud of it. i may have to steal it back someday.

hahaha.

to miss dina---holy awesome birthday party, batman!

thanks to the ross family for making me feel like i'd run a marathon that day & the next day...and sugaring up my kids before they came home! :)

Welcome from the Whyte House.

I'm Susie Whyte...mother of 2, a sailor's wife, fan of pacifiers and soccer. I feel very passionate about photographing lower income families, to fill the need for families that cannot afford photos. Memories are one thing that will never be scarce, even if money in the bank is.